Adjustable beam support

ABSTRACT

A support apparatus provides a vertical strut having a threaded portion at a lower end and a strut cap positioned on an upper end. A beam support yolk engages a structural beam and the support yolk rotationally engages the strut cap. A strut base provides a threaded receiver and a cavity, the cavity positioned below the threaded receiver. The threaded portion of the strut engages the threaded receiver. The strut further provides a device for rotational advantage for rotating the strut and the strut cap for adjustment in vertical position of the support yolk relative to a support surface under the strut base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE: Applicant(s) hereby incorporate herein by reference, any and all U.S. patents, U.S. patent applications, and other documents and printed matter cited or referred to in this application.

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates generally to structural supports and more particularly to a vertically adjustable beam support with cost effective construction and simple operation.

[0004] 2. Description of Related Art

[0005] The following art defines the present state of this field:

[0006] Bradshaw, U.S. Pat. No. 1,061,658 describes an adjustable support, embodying a tubular base section screw threaded externally at top and bottom, a base flange internally screw threaded, a boxing cap internally screw threaded engaging the upper end of said base section and having an internally screw threaded opening therethrough, an externally screw threaded section passing through said boxing cap, a guide collar mounted on said last mentioned section within the base section, a head casting carried on the upper end of said externally screw threaded section, a cap jounaled on the head casting, and an upper pipe section screw threaded into said cap.

[0007] Haroldson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,933 describes an adjustable pedestal for elevated flooring locking in its adjusted position solely by a downward force imposed by the weight of the flooring, which pedestal comprises a base member to be placed on a sub-floor, a head member for supporting the flooring, one of said members having a threaded rod thereon and the other of said members having a tubular section for the reception of said rod, said rod having a longitudinally extending keyway on its outer surface and said tubular section having a fixed radially inwardly extending key at all times fitting and slidable in said keyway to allow slidable movement of said rod with respect to said tubular section but at all times preventing rotative movement between said rod and said tubular section, and a nut threaded onto said rod and abutting the free end of said tubular section, the abutting surfaces of said nut and the free end of said tubular section having a plurality of circumferentially spaced cooperating recess and projection means adapted to mate and restrain turning movement of said nut with respect to said rod solely by the downward force imposed by the weight of the flooring on said nut.

[0008] Olvera, U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,054 describes an adjustable device for leveling floors, bases and other structures and having a cylindrical, elongate, threaded body supported at one end in an upright position and having at least one diametral slot in its other end of such width as to accommodate a flange formed on the structure to be leveled. An adjustable nut is threaded on the body between the ends of the latter and is adjustable toward and away from the slotted end of the body so as to vary the effective depth of the slot. Bearings preferably are supported in a retainer atop the adjusting nut to eliminate friction between the nut and the flange.

[0009] Albrecht et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,544 describes an adjustable pedestal adapted to support individually removable panel members in accurate, edge-aligned relation and in a common horizontal that is level plane. The pedestal includes a head assembly supported on an upper end of a support. The head assembly includes a head member having a generally flat upper surface which is adjustable vertically, rotationally and laterally of the support rod. Abutment means adjustable along the support rod, is engaged by the head member and establishes a position of the head member wherein the upper surface resides in the horizontal plane. Clamping means clamps the head member to the support rod. Radially extending lugs extend above the upper surface of the head member. The arrangement is such that an adjacent pair of lugs of one pedestal cooperates with adjacent pairs of lugs from adjacent pedestals to define a panel-supporting surface which is horizontal and which coincides with said horizontal plane.

[0010] Av-Zuk, U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,258 describes an access flooring system including a plurality of adjustable height pedestals, which support a skeletal grid of stringers. The stringers, in turn, support a plurality of rectangular floor panels. Each pedestal includes a head for supporting not only stringers, which are registered with perpendicular edges of floor panels, but, in addition, stringers that extend diagonally. The diagonal stringers provide increased load capacity for the system and resist medial deflections of the panels.

[0011] McSwain, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,405 describes a temporary, self-leveling support device having a screwjack body with a threaded hole formed centrally therein for engaging a threaded bolt. The bolt has a load bearing plate affixed thereon. The bolt can be rotated within the screwjack body to raise or lower the load-bearing surface. The screwjack body has two opposed support legs pivotally attached thereto, which extend down to form an A-frame support. The support legs have pivotally mounted feet, which can pivot to engage uneven surfaces thereby allowing the device to be self-loading. The legs are secured to each other by an adjustable tie bar cross member which can be adjusted to increase or decrease the distance between the support legs and thereby adjust the overall height and base dimensions of the device.

[0012] Propst, U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,423 describes a floor system having removable floor panels resting at their corners on support rings provided by vertically adjustable pedestal units. The upper ends of the pedestal units have hex-heads for receiving a height adjusting tool. Access to the hex-heads is obtained by removing cornercaps held in place by screws threaded into the hex-heads. The support rings do not turn while the pedestal units are being adjusted in height.

[0013] Kawai et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,745 describes floor panel support legs supporting floor panels atop a floor slab and a double floor device uses such floor panel support legs. Each floor support leg is constituted by a pair of cylindrical first and second pedestal members and a fixing member for fixing the relative position between the first and second pedestal members, the first and second pedestal members having bottoms at their axial one end portions and thread portions at their inner and outer circumferential surfaces respectively so that they are thread-engaged with each other through their thread portions. The axial height of the support leg is set by the degree of thread engagement between the first and second pedestal members and the thus set height is fixed by the fixing member. Such support legs are arranged between a floor slab and floor panels at butted portions of the floor panels to support the floor panels to thereby constitute a double floor device. Thus, the support legs are capable of strongly supporting floor panels at a low position from a floor slab to thereby provide a low double floor device.

[0014] Collins, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,950 describes an adjustable pier block for leveling a deck or porch. A footing block or base is cast of concrete and a threaded rod is placed vertically therein. A coupling having internal threads and a plurality of flats on an outer surface thereof is threaded onto the rod. A U-shaped saddle member, sized to receive a joist or beam, has a connector attached to a bottom outer surface thereof. The connector is sized and shaped to slidingly receive a free end of the coupling against a load bearing surface or the bottom side of the saddle. A washer or disk, of made from a friction reducing material, can be inserted between the coupling and the load bearing surface for ease of operation. The coupling can be turned, by use of a wrench cooperating with the flats, in order to raise or lower the beam or joist for leveling a deck during construction thereof and at a later date after settling has occurred.

[0015] Buzon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,264 describes a device for supporting, leveling and attaching (where appropriate), an elevated building surface. The device can be raised or lowered by rotating a base member of the device. The device includes a flange member for the support of heavy loads. The device further includes a fluid pathway to remove fluids, such as water, and heat from the support device. The device can be used in outdoor or indoor environments and is capable of supporting the heavy loads applied by many types of building surfaces, such as heavy structural slabs.

[0016] Triplett, U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,474 describes a universal block made of concrete designed to be used with different size posts and beams. The pier block is a conical, six-sided structure and includes two concentrically aligned, post-receiving voids designed to receive the ends of a (4 times 4) or (6 times 6) inch post. The (6 times 6) inch void is positioned above the (4 times 4) inch void. Formed horizontally on the top surface of the pier block are two transversely aligned beam-receiving slots. Each beam-receiving slot includes a narrow and a wide slot longitudinally aligned. The wide slot is positioned above the narrow slot. A vertically aligned drain hole is formed through the pier block from the bottom surface of the (4 times 4) inch void to the bottom of the pier block, which allows water to drain from the post-receiving voids.

[0017] Kugler, U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,685 describes an adjustable support piece, which can selectively raise or lower the level of a building surface or industrial component such as a mechanical pump, etc. A base member, crown member, and threaded tubular stem which can be cut with a hand saw are provided and which can be selectively adjusted in height to raise or lower the height of the building surface. In one embodiment, a coupling may be used to interconnect two tubular stems together. Further, a crown coupling spacer may be used to moderately increase the total length of the adjustable support piece.

[0018] The prior art teaches adjustable structural supports, leveling devices, decking supports, floor panels supports, and adjustable pier blocks, but does not teach a yolk mounted onto a threaded strut engaged within a threaded pier. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.

[0020] A support apparatus provides a vertical strut having a threaded portion at a lower end and a strut cap positioned on an upper end. A beam support yolk engages a structural beam and the support yolk rotationally engages the strut cap. A strut base provides a threaded receiver and a cavity, the cavity positioned below the threaded receiver. The threaded portion of the strut engages the threaded receiver. The strut further provides a device for rotational advantage for rotating the strut and the strut cap for adjustment in vertical position of the support yolk relative to a support surface under the strut base.

[0021] A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method of use of such apparatus that provides advantages not taught by the prior art.

[0022] Another objective is to provide such an invention capable of supporting a beam with vertical adjustment.

[0023] A further objective is to provide such an invention capable of being turned by either a wrench or a rod in hole arrangement.

[0024] A still further objective is to provide such an invention capable of considerably vertical adjustment into and out of a cavity within a pier.

[0025] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:

[0027] FIGS. 1-3 are elevational views of the preferred embodiment of the invention showing progressive raising of a beam by rotation of a support strut in a pier or base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The above described drawing figures illustrate the invention in at least one of its preferred embodiments, which is further defined in detail in the following description.

[0029] The present invention is a support apparatus comprising a structural beam 10 and a vertical strut 20 for supporting the beam 10. The strut 20 provides, at a lower end 22, a threaded portion 24 preferably a male machine thread. A strut cap 30 is positioned over an upper end 26 of the strut 20. Preferably a shaft 40 is mounted axially in the strut cap 30 and extends upwardly therefrom to engage a beam support yolk 45 with the structural beam 10 laying within the support yolk 45, as shown in FIGS. 1-3. The shaft 40 is rotationally engaged with the cap 30 or with the yolk 45, or both, so that the yolk 45 is able to rotate relative to the strut 20. A strut base or pier 50 provides a threaded receiver 52, preferably providing a female machine thread, and a cavity 54, wherein, the cavity 54 is positioned below the threaded receiver 52. The threaded portion 24 of the strut 20 is engaged with the threaded receiver 52 with the threaded portion 22 of the strut 20 extending into the cavity 54 by more or less degree depending upon the position of the support yolk 45 as is shown in FIGS. 1-3. The strut 20 further provides a means for rotational advantage 60 for rotating the strut 20 so as to draw the support yolk 45 upward and downward depending on the sense of rotation of the strut 20. The strut cap 30 and the support yolk 45 are therefore able to be adjusted for vertical positioning of the support yolk 45 relative to a support surface 70 under the strut base 50.

[0030] The rotational advantage means 60 may be a pair of opposing flat surfaces 25, 27 on the strut 20 or may be a rod 29 engaged within a transverse clearance hole 23 in the strut 20, wherein the rod 29 extends laterally from the strut 20 for manual gripping. Whether the rod 29 is used or a wrench 80 is applied to the flat surfaces 25, 27, mechanical advantage is provided for turning the strut 20 thereby extending or diminishing the distance of the yolk 45 from the support surface 70.

[0031] In an alternate embodiment a post 60 is used in place of strut 20, the post 60 being a wooden member with a hollow portion 62 at its top, as shown in FIG. 4. A metal plate 64 is tacked onto the top of the post 60 and provides a threaded hole 65 at center. A threaded rod 66 is engaged with hole 65 so that the rod 66 is able to rotate for vertical advancement in the hole 65. The rod 65 is fitted with undercut 67 which receives yolk 45 rotationally, as shown. In this manner, the rod 65 is able to move vertically along its thread to raise or lower yolk 45.

[0032] While the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the inventor(s) believe that the claimed subject matter is the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A support apparatus comprising: a vertical strut providing at a lower end, a threaded portion; a strut cap positioned on an upper end of the strut and integrally joined with the strut cap is a beam support yolk extending upwardly, the support yolk rotationally engaged with the strut cap; a strut base providing a threaded receiver and a cavity, the cavity positioned below the threaded receiver; the threaded portion of the strut engaged with the threaded receiver; the strut further providing a means for rotational advantage for rotating the strut within the threaded receiver for vertical adjustment of the support yolk relative to a support surface under the strut base.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rotational advantage means is a pair of opposing flat surfaces on the strut.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rotational advantage means is a rod engaged within a transverse clearance hold in the strut, the rod extending laterally from the strut.
 4. A support apparatus comprising in combination: a structural beam; and a vertical strut providing at a lower end, a threaded portion; a strut cap positioned on an upper end of the strut and integrally joined with the strut; a beam support yolk engaging the structural beam, the support yolk rotationally engaged with the strut cap; a strut base providing a threaded receiver and a cavity, the cavity positioned below the threaded receiver; the threaded portion of the strut engaged with the threaded receiver; the strut further providing a means for rotational advantage for rotating the strut, strut cap and support yolk for adjustment in vertical positioning of the support yolk relative to a support surface under the strut base.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the rotational advantage means is a pair of opposing flat surfaces on the strut.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the rotational advantage means is a rod engaged within a transverse clearance hole in the strut, the rod extending laterally from the strut.
 7. A support apparatus comprising in combination: a structural beam; and a vertical post providing at an upper end thereof, a hollow portion; a metal plate positioned over the top end of the post and providing a threaded center hole; a threaded rod engaged with the center hole and thereby able to rotate for vertical advancement in the hole; the rod engaged with a beam support yolk engaging the structural beam. 